15/04/2018
Reference Services
and Sources
Learn about : Reference services,
selecting the right reference source,
types of reference sources, where
and how to find reference sources,
and reference sources available via
the Web.
Reference Services
The function of libraries is three-
fold. Libraries acquire information,
organize that information in a way it
can be retrieved, and disseminate
the information the library has
acquired. Reference services fulfills
this last function. Reference
services may vary from library to
library, but most libraries have an
information or Reference Desk where
assistance from a librarian is
available. Almost all libraries
provide reference services via the
telephone and many libraries offer
email, text, or chat services with a
reference librarian.
There are three main types of
reference assistance:
Assistance or instruction with
using the library, including
locating materials, using the
catalog, using computers to
access information, and using
basic reference sources.
Assistance identifying library
materials needed to answer a
question.
Providing brief, factual
answers to questions, such
as addresses, statistics,
phone numbers, etc. that can
be quickly located.
Reference Sources
Reference sources such as
dictionaries, encyclopedias,
almanacs, atlases, etc. are research
tools that can help you with your
paper or project. Reference sources
provide answers to specific
questions, such as brief facts,
statistics, and technical
instructions; provide background
information; or direct you to
additional information sources. In
most libraries, reference sources do
not circulate and are located in a
separate reference collection. This
practice makes reference sources
readily available and easily
accessible.
Reference sources are designed to
be consulted rather than read
through. Their design is generally
dependent on the type of
information and treatment provided.
Reference materials can be arranged
alphabetically, topically, or
chronologically. Many will contain
cross listed information and more
than one index. If it is not obvious
how a reference source is organized,
take a moment to look through the
explanatory or how-to-use
information, which is usually
presented at the beginning of the
book, or in HELP screens for online
products.
There are thousands of reference
sources available that cover
practically every subject. Although
the term reference "book" is
frequently used, reference sources
can be books, serials, on-line
databases or the Internet. A large
part of using reference sources well
is choosing the right one.
Despite the wide variety available,
reference sources can be
categorized into a handful of
groups. Think about the kind of
information you need and how you
will use it. If you are unsure which
reference tool is best suited to your
information need, a reference
librarian will be able to assist you.
Quick guide for selecting the right
type of reference source (Collins,
151):
For information
about... Choose...
Words Dictionaries
General
information/
Overview of
topic
Encyclopedias
Names &
addresses of
people,
organizations,
institutions,
companies
Directories
Profiles of
people Biographical
Dictionaries
Places/Maps Gazetteers or
Atlases
Facts and
Statistics Almanacs
Formula,
Tables, How-
To-Do-It
Handbooks and
Manuals
A person's
work
Reviews or
Criticisms
Dates, outlines,
historical
timelines
Historical
tables,
Chronologies,
Historical
yearbooks
Periodical
Articles Indexes or
Abstracts
Books and
other sources Bibliographies
or Guides to
Literature...
Types of Reference Tools
Two major categories of reference
materials are general and subject.
General sources include all subjects
and present overviews of topics.
Reference materials focused on
specific subjects can provide more
in-depth coverage.
There are reference sources that
provide information on specific
subjects as well as general sources
that provide information on many
subjects. In general, reference
sources are either general or subject
specific. If you need an overview of
a subject, perhaps a general
information source will suit your
needs. If you need specialized
information, a subject specific tool
may be better suited.
The following reference sources and
others are available in the main
Reference Collection on Level 4 of
Rasmuson Library, and/or via the
Internet.
Dictionaries
Dictionaries provide information
about words.
General dictionaries are the
most familiar to us. You may
even own one. This group
includes Webster's
International Dictionary , the
Random House Dictionary of
the English Language, and
the Merriam-Webster
Collegiate Dictionary . These
sources generally provide
definitions, pronunciations,
syllabication, and usage.
Historical dictionaries provide
the history of a word from its
introduction into the
language to the present. The
Oxford English Dictionary is
an excellent example of this
type of dictionary.
Etymological dictionaries are
dictionaries which emphasize
the anaylsis of components of
words and their cognates in
other languages. These
dictionaries emphasize the
linguistic and grammatical
history of the word usage.
The Oxford Dictionary of
English Etymology is an
example of an etymological
dictionary.
Period or scholarly
specialized dictionaries focus
on a particular place or time
period. For example, try the
Dictionary of Alaskan English
if you would like to know
when the word "cheechako"
was first used.
Foreign language dictionaries
are fairly self-explanatory.
We've all looked up words in
a French or Spanish or other
Western European language.
Don't forget other wonderful
dictionaries, such as the
Yup'ik Eskimo Dictionary or
the Inupiat Eskimo dictionary.
Subject dictionaries focus on
word definitions in a subject
area, such as finance, law,
botany, electronics, physics,
etc.
Other dictionaries include
dictionaries of slang,
abrreviations, synonyms,
antonyms, abbreviations,
acronyms, reversals, rhyming,
idioms, phrases, and guides
to correct usage. Dictionary
of Acronyms and
Abbreviations, The Macmillan
Dictionary of Historical Slang ,
Roget's II: The New
Thesaurus , The American
Language , Strunk's Elements
of Style.
Dictionaries, like other reference
sources, may belong to more than
one category. For example, an
English-Russian engineering
dictionary is both a foreign language
and a subject dictionary.
Dictionaries may be abridged or
unabridged. Abridged dictionaries
are smaller and contained the most
commonly used words. Unabridged
dictionaries try to include all words
in current usage. Like other
reference sources, dictionaries may
become outdated as language
evolves. Care should be taken to
carefully identify the publication
date and focus of the dictionary
selected. General dictionaries begin
with LC call numbers starting with
AG. Specialized dictionaries will
have subject specific call numbers.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias provide general
background information; they are a
good place to start researching a
topic that you know little about.
Large subject areas or disciplines
are covered in broad articles that
explain basic concepts. These
overview articles often contain
references to more specific aspects
of the larger topic and may include a
bibliography that leads you to more
in-depth sources. Encyclopedias
may be general or subject specific.
General encyclopedias usually
arrange articles alphabetically
by topic. Look for an
accompanying index which
may list cross-references to
other articles. Included in this
category are Encyclopaedia
Britannica, The Cambridge
Encyclopedia , Encyclopedia
Americana , and the Columbia
Encyclopedia. General
encyclopedia LC call numbers
begin with AE.
Subject encyclopedias are
available for almost every
academic discipline. They
provide more in-depth and
technical information than
general encyclopedias.
Subject encyclopedias
generally assume some prior
knowledge of the subject.
There is no general rule for
how these tools are arranged.
Look for an index. A few
examples of subject
encyclopedias include the
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of
Science and Technology ,
International Encyclopedia of
the Social Sciences ,
Encyclopedia of World Art,
Encyclopedia of Philosophy ,
and the Encyclopedia of
Archaeology. Subject
encyclopedias will have
subject specific call numbers.
Directories
Directories provide names,
addresses, affiliations, etc. of
people, organizations, or
institutions. They can be used to
verify addresses, name spellings,
and provide contact information. As
in other reference sources,
directories may be general or
focused on a particular subject.
General directories: Zip Code
& Post Office Directory ,
Encyclopedia of Associations
Subject directories: Fairbanks
Phone Directory, Museums of
the World, A Directory of
Eskimo Artists in Sculpture
and Prints , A-Z Index of U.S.
Government Departments and
Agencies , Directory of
Multinationals, Thomas
Register of American
Manufacturers .
Biographical Dictionaries
Biographical dictionaries contain
short articles about people's lives.
Biography resources have call
numbers that begin with CT.
General biographical
dictionaries include Current
Biography, Dictionary of
American Biography , Who's
Who , Encyclopedia of World
Biography, etc.
Subject biographical
dictionaries may focus on a
subject area or group. These
sources include Dictionary of
Scientific Biography ,
Contemporary Authors,
Biographical Dictionary of
Psychology , New Grove
Dictionary of Music and
Musicians, Women of Science,
etc.
Gazetteers or Atlases
Geographic information is located in
gazetteers, atlases and maps.
Geography resources have call
numbers that begin with G.
Atlasescontain collections of
maps. They provide
information on geographical/
political changes. There are
world, national, and thematic
atlases and these may be
current or historical.
World atlases include
National Geographic
Atlas of the World .
National atlases :
National Atlas of the
United States, Atlas of
the American
Revolution .
Thematic atlases focus
on a specific subject
area, such as
astronomy or
agriculture. Examples
include, The Oxford
Economic Atlas of the
World and the
Environmental Atlas of
Alaska.
Gazetteersare sometimes
referred to as geographical
dictionaries and provide
descriptions of places, but no
maps.
General gazetteers
include Webster's New
Geographical
Dictionary, The
Columbia Lippincott
Gazetteer of the World ,
Gazetteer of Undersea
Features, etc.
Regional gazetteers ,
such as Dictionary of
Alaska Place Names , by
D. Orth, focus on a
specific geographical
region and are good
places to look if you
want to know the
location of a town, its
population, or where
its name came from.
Sometimes atlases and gazetteers
are combined, as in the Alaska Atlas
and Gazetteer, by DeLorme Mapping,
which publishes similar products for
the other states.
Almanacs
Almanacs contain statistics and
facts about countries, events,
personalities, or subjects. Almanac
resources have call numbers that
begin with AY.
General almanacs include the
Statistical Abstract of the
United States, The New York
Public Library Desk
Reference , World Almanac (an
American focus), Information
Please Almanac (print ed.
called Time Almanac ),
Whitaker's Almanak (United
Kingdom focus).
Subject almanacs include The
Weather Almanac, The
Almanac of Renewable
Energy, Political Reference
Almanac, Alaska Almanac ,
and more.
Handbooks/Manuals
Handbooks and manuals are subject
area tools. Handbooks provide facts,
terms, concepts, movements, etc. of
a topic. Manuals provide detailed
instructions on a particular subject,
such as how-to-do something or
how something works.
Handbooks : Handbook of
North American Indians,
Guide to Alaska Trees , Words
and Ideas: A Handbook for
College Writing , Handbook of
Mathematical Formulas , MLA
Handbook For Writers of
Research Papers.
Manuals: Manual of
Photography, Manual for
Environmental Impact
Evaluation , Alaska Craftsman
Home Building Manual, United
States Government Manual.
Review & Criticism Sources
These tools provide reviews or
critiques of a person's work.
General : Book Review Digest
(OCLC FirstSearch, hereafter
called FirstSearch), MLA
(FirstSearch), New York Times
Book Review , Contemporary
Literary Criticism.
Subject : Children's Literature
Review , Popular Music
Record Reviews.
Historical Tables, Chronologies,
Historical Yearbooks
Historical tables and chronologies
present historical facts in different
formats. Historical tables provide
facts chronologically in columns
with each column representing
another geographical area or other
major area, such as history,
economics, religions. etc.
Chronologies use narrative form to
present facts. Historical tables and
chronologies may span long or very
short time periods. Historical
yearbooks provide facts and
statistics for a single year and may
be published annually.
Historical Tables: The
Timetables of History,
Historical Tables, 58 BC-AD
1985.
Chronologies: Chronology of
World History, The New York
Public Library Book of
Chronologies, Chronology of
the Expanding World ,
1492-1762 , A Chronology of
the People's Republic of
China from October 1, 1949,
Annals of European
Civilization, 1501-1900 .
Historical Yearbooks: The
Statesman's Year-Book .
Indexes & Abstracts
Indexes and abstracts lead to
additional sources of periodical
articles. Indexes only provide
author, title, and subject
information. Abstracts tend to be
more descriptive. Some online index
databases also include the full-text
of the article.
General : Reader's Guide to
Periodic Index (FirstSearch),
Book Review Index ,
Periodicals Abstracts
(FirstSearch).
Subject : Art Abstracts
(FirstSearch), New York Times
Index (ABI Inform), Biography
Index (FirstSearch), Chemical
Abstracts.
Bibliographies
Bibliographies lead to other
information sources. They are lists
of books and other materials that
provide author, title, and publication
information. Annotated
bibliographies also include a brief
description or summary of the item.
Bibliographies are available on
almost every topic and may focus
on specific persons, groups,
subjects, or time periods. Many
bibliographies are selective and do
not attempt to include all
publications. Bibliographies are
sometimes referred to as "Guides to
the Literature ..."
Examples: American Fiction,
1774-1850 , Bibliography of
Education, Utilization of Wood
Residues: An Annotated
Bibliography, A Bibliography of Sir
Walter Scott , MLA Bibliography
(FirstSearch), Current Bibliographies
in Medicine (NLM), Alutiiq
Ethnographic Bibliography (ANKN).
Ready Reference
The Ready Reference Collection
contains reference sources that are
used most frequently. The Ready
Reference shelves are located
adjacent to the Reference Desk. The
collection includes reference tools
such as The Encyclopedia of
Associations , The Encyclopedia of
Associations , The Dictionary of
Alaska Place Names , Style guides
(MLA, APA, Chicago), a thesaurus,
The Physician's Desk Reference ,
Alaska phone directories, Black's
Law Dictionary , World Almanac , The
Merck Manual of Medical
Information , Zip Code Directories,
etc.
Where to find Reference
Materials
All materials in the Reference
Collection can be found by
searching the library catalog. Once
you determine what type of
reference source you need, simply
do a subject or keyword search for
that tool. All items with a REF
location code in the call number are
located in the main Reference
Collection on Level 4 (main floor).
The Alaska Collection (Level 2) and
Government Documents Collection
(Level 5) also have Reference
Collections, and their location
codes are AK REF and DOCS REF
respectively.
Try a subject search such as
"dictionaries" or "bibliographies".
Or, try a subject search on your field
of interest and look for reference
subheadings.
For Example:
From the BROWSE search in the
library catalog type in your term(s),
then click Subject .
Now look for types of reference
sources: bibliographies,
dictionaries, manuals, handbooks,
etc...(Refer to Guide for Selecting
the Right Type of Reference Source
shown above.)
Or, limit your subject search to your
field of interest such as:
astronomy dictionaries
astrophysics bibliography
chemistry abstracts
Or try a keyword search such as
"shakespeare AND bibliography".
Other options include:
Browse the reference section.
The Reference Collection at
Rasmuson Library is near the
Reference Desk on Level 4.
The collection is arranged by
Library of Congress (LC)
system , starting with general
encyclopedias, which can be
found on the low shelves,
directly behind the Ready
Reference Collection. The
print indexes fill several
shelves on the south end.
Ask a Reference Librarian .
Ask in-person at the
Reference Desk or send your
question via email, text, or
chat. A librarian will respond
to your question via e-mail.
Search the Internet. Many
university web sites and
Internet "virtual libraries"
provide access to web
reference resources. These
subject directories provide
access to reliable sources
that have already been
evaluated according to the
criteria of the authors of the
site. Or locate reference
sources on the Web using a
search engine.
There are good and bad
sources available via the
Internet. Always evaluate your
sources carefully
